A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
by Noooootebooker
Summary: Boy meets girl. Girl develops crush. Crush turns to love. Boy jackass, Girl heartbroken. Fast forward. Girl has moved on.Girl is engaged. Coincidence strikes. Boy is hired to follow girl and snap pictures. Girl is mad. AH,AU
1. Chapter 1: A Bite From The Past

**Full Summary: **

AU/AH: Bella Swan is engaged and happy-well, sort of. At least, she's moving on from the harsh rejection of her former best friend and love. That is, until a bronze haired photographer with familiar green eyes shows up, hired to shadow Bella 24/7 through the steps leading up to the wedding… Potential catastrophe? Oh yes… Bella is determined to remain angry at Edward for the way he treated her, and for ditching their friendship- a task that proves itself more difficult than she thought so- even with Edward's mysterious, bitter attitude towards weddings…

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**Disclaimer for the WHOLE STORY: SM owns the characters that come from Twilight, I don't- however much I'd love an Edward all for myself ;) I only own some plot lines :D And possibly some new characters which may be introduced later on (:**

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**Chapter Playlist:**** I'm Scared- Duffy, Teardrops on my Guitar - Taylor Swift**

**A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words**

**Chapter 1- A Bite From The Past**

I was late.

And when I say late, I mean dangerously late. As in, I was running the risk possibly walking down the aisle _after _Rose did, rather than with all the other bridesmaids. Yeah- that would go down well with the bride.

Thankfully, as I towed Jacob across Emmett's Parent's beautifully decorated lawn, I could see that Rose had not come out yet, and Emmett and the priest were the only ones at the altar, aside from the best man.

"You're late!" Alice hissed as we approached the line of bridesmaids, hidden from the audience by some Rose bushes.

"I know, I'm sorry!" I whispered as I quickly pecked, before he walked off to go find a seat in the audience. "It's just, you know, the traffic and…" I trailed off at Alice's expression.

"The traffic? Or that piece of metal _causing _the traffic?" I rolled my eyes- this was a conversation we'd had many times before.

"And today of all days!" She muttered, and I sighed, not just at her complaints, but at the reminder of what today was- and no, I wasn't thinking of Rose and Emmett's wedding.

"Leave it," Alice concluded, resuming her usual pixie, happy state. She looked me over once, and seemed to be satisfied with my appearance- a rare occasion. "You look gorgeous, Bella- that blue suits you more than any of us here. Thank God I managed to get your hair done this morning before Rose called- and _thank you _for wearing the eye shadow. I was worried you weren't going to…" I chuckled at the seriousness in which she appraised me.

"Alright ladies, get ready," Rose's father interrupted our quiet chatter, "Rosie's coming now- It's almost time."

I felt butterflies flood my stomach and throat as I thought about how I would be in Rose's place one day in the near future. Well, the engagement ring was on. _I was engaged. I was going to get married. Holy…_

Jacob had proposed a month ago, two nights after Alice had flown off to New York for business. I couldn't help but wonder if his timing hadn't just been a coincidence, but either way, Alice had been insanely busy while she had been gone, and I hadn't had a chance to talk to her over the , she only found out two weeks later and _boy _had she been pissed with Jacob's timing- and she wasn't Jake's biggest fan anyway. Naturally, I had asked Alice to plan my wedding- yes, I did know what I was getting myself into, but she was my best friend _and _a professional events planner. But, since Rose's wedding had been so soon, we had agreed to start planning after the wedding.

The sounds of the bridesmaids' coos broke me out of my thoughts, and I turned to see Rosalie coming out of the house and round the back towards us.

Naturally, Rosalie looked unbelievably stunning. Her dress had a V-neck, and hugged her body until her waist where it flowed outwards, going down to around ankle length- it was a garden wedding after all.

The opening music started, and on cue, each bridesmaid walked forward and down the aisle. Of course, I felt my cheeks heat up when people looked at us, but I reminded myself that the main focus today was Rose. _Thankfully. _In the back of my head, I wondered how I would deal with all the attention on _my _wedding day, but I pushed that thought away as I joined Alice in line at the altar.

I glanced at the audience and then quickly looked away - there were _lot more _people here than I had realized. How did Emmett and Rose _know _so many people?

I looked away and smiled when my eyes landed on Emmett- He was practically a big brother to me. With his big, muscled up build, and his dark, short but curly hair, Emmett could look intimidating to people who didn't know him, but I knew that he was just a warm, happy teddy bear at heart. With a twisted sense of humor.

At some signal that I missed, everyone suddenly stood up from their seats, and turned their heads towards the back.

Wagner's Traditional March began to play, and after a couple of seconds Rose appeared at the end of the alter on her father's arm, and began the slow walk towards the altar. I quick glance at Emmett's expression told me that, despite all of his jokes about being sad to see the passing of his single days, he was feeling like the luckiest man alive.

Of course, these jokes had been made when Rose had _not _been around.

There were murmurs of approval going round the church; the audience probably shared my thoughts on how stunning Rose looked.

"We are gathered here today…"

As the ceremony began, people quietened down to listen to the priest.

After about five minutes, Alice leaned up to whisper in my ear, "This place is really gorgeous, isn't it?" I nodded my approval and looked around the place. The garden- wow. The grass was freshly cut and was a pretty green that shined slightly under the sun. Yes- _sun._ The weather seemed to be in favor of the wedding today- only one very white cloud in the sky, and the rest was all blue- a miracle for Forks. Near the middle of the garden was a beautiful lake, and the reception had been planned accordingly so that the tables flowed around it. Garlands of roses- in favor of a 'Rose' getting married- in every shade of pink and red hung everywhere. Alice was right- it _was_ gorgeous.

I turned my head back from the view of the garden and let my eyes roam over the audience now. I recognized quite a few people in the crowd, for both Emmett and Rose, although more on Emmett's side - I had known him much longer than I had known Rose.

And then it happened.

My eyes had made it to the back row of the audience, and I lifted them slightly to look at someone standing at the very back.

And I found myself staring into a pair of striking, emerald green eyes.

There was only one pair of eyes in the world that held that beautiful colour.

And that pair of eyes belonged to someone that I hadn't spoken to in around _ten years._

Someone that, once upon a time, had crushed my heart into little pieces.

For a moment, I was frozen, staring into these eyes, all trains of thoughts halted. And then I quickly looked away, my mind suddenly racing with how's and why's andmore_ how's._ How?!

"Bella, are you ok?" Alice whispered in my ear, pulling me out of my trance. "You look kind of shocked…?"

"Uh… I'm- I'm fine," I whispered back, and then tried to rearrange my facial features into a pleasant, expression. I had to remember that I was standing in front of a big audience, despite the obvious attention being on Rose and Emmett.

I had managed a calm façade- or so I hoped- but inside I was a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts.

He couldn't be here. He just… couldn't. I had spent years hurting over how he had treated me through high school, and more years trying to get over him. I had finally gotten to a point in my life where I was happy, I was engaged to a wonderful man, and I had the most amazing friends I could ask for. He couldn't just turn up here! What the f… did he think he was doing?!

_Ok. Think logically. Emmett and Rosalie have absolutely no connection to Edward, so he would have no reason to be here at all! _

I began to relax as I listened to the logical side of me. I had probably just been imagining it- after all, I had good reason to go a little crazy today. It was probably just a random stranger standing there, someone who I had never seen before.

Yes, a random stranger.

Despite having convinced myself that this was true, I kept my eyesight well away from the back of the audience.

Just to be safe.

**EPOV**

"Will that be all, Mrs. Hale, or do you want some more done?" I asked the bride's mother, and tried to keep my voice calm, and not pleading. Although _I did_ desperately need two minutes to have a look at my camera. The ceremony had just finished, and the bride and groom, along with close relatives, had come together to have some family photos done.

Mrs. Hale smiled up at me, "Oh, not for now. Everyone is still heading off to the reception area, you go have a break." Yes. "You're a very talented photographer, you know," She continued… did she just bat her eyelashes?! "You must have worked for hundreds of wedding to acquire such good skill!"

I think that I am perfectly right in saying that I was rather disturbed by Rosalie's mother. Especially considering the fact that she had not even seen the photos that I had taken yet.

I fought the urge to snort at her last comment- this was my first piece of work in I don't know how long. Actually, I probably wouldn't have been doing this had the groom not also been my roommate, but I definitely owed this to him.

Although I couldn't say that I particularly enjoyed anything about a wedding. I wonder why.

I forced a smile onto my face and thanked Mrs. Hale before hurrying off to the back of the house. Once I was out of sight, I sighed and leaned against the wall. I lifted my beautiful camera from where it hung around my neck, and I switched it on before flipping to the display setting.

I immediately started to flip backwards through the photos I had taken, skipping right past the most recent ones and slowing down when I reached the photos taken during the ceremony.

"_Damn it, _"I muttered under my breath. I had taken a lot of photos of the bride and groom, but it took me a while to find one of everyone.

_I refused to acknowledge what I was looking for._

Finally, I found one of everyone, and I pressed the zoom button. It took me straight to the center first, showing Emmett and Rosalie's shoes, and I navigated myself around the photo. I moved straight to the bride's side of the alter, and onto the bridesmaids. I moved upwards over their matching, deep blue dresses and finally, I reached their faces.

I recognized the first face as the maid of honour- she had been shamelessly flirting with me earlier in the day, although that passed off as more normal than being flirted with by the bloody_ mother_ of the bride. I didn't recognize the next bridesmaid, or the one after. And then I moved onto the next one, and I froze. _There she was._

I hadn't been hallucinating. I wasn't going crazy. She was really there- she was one of the bridesmaids!

She wasn't hard to recognize, despite her slight growth in height, and the maturation of her features. She was wearing _blue_…

And what a bloody coincidence. _Today _of all days.

No, not today being Emmett and Rose's wedding.

Today being exactly 20 years since we had become friends.

20 years since I had pinky promised that I would stand by her no matter what.

A promise that I hadn't kept.

I felt guilt begin to creep upon me, and I pushed it away. Pinky promises didn't mean anything.

I sighed and switched off the camera- I needed to get back to the reception now.

I had been hoping to have a seat on one of the boulders in the trees on the side, and do my photographs from there, but all hopes of that vanished when Emmett spotted me.

"Hey Edward, man!" He clapped his hand down on my shoulder.

I couldn't help but grin at his enthusiasm, "Emmett! Marriage now, huh?" I teased. "Congrats, man."

"Thanks," He smiled, and gave me a quick hug before pulling me over to a group of people, "This is the photographer, guys! Eddie has some awesome talent." I rolled my eyes at the nickname, but shook hands with the people there.

Out of nowhere, a tiny woman appeared at Emmett's side. When I say tiny, I mean _tiny._ And… she was bouncing. Every so slightly, but she was. Her dark head connected with her grin bobbed up and down, and she looked expectantly at Emmett.

"Oh right!" Emmett turned back to me, "Edward, Alice. She's dating Rose's brother, and she did a lot for the wedding. Alice, this is the photographer."

"Hi!" She beamed up at me, and I wasn't sure how to deal with this… _bundle _of energy. She stuck out her hand, "Emmett has told me a lot about you. It's so good to meet you!"

I shook her hand and glanced at Emmett, who just chuckled at my uncertainty, "Good to meet you too…" I smiled. Her enthusiasm _was _sort of contagious, however odd it was.

Alice pointed at my camera, "Could I see some of the photos you took?" Emmett had started talking to some other people so I shrugged.

"Sure, why not."

I removed my camera from around my neck, and switched it on.

I had shown her a couple of photos when she turned to me and spoke again, "Do you mind if I go get my friend? I- She's engaged, and… well, these photos are amazing, so…" I nodded and she beamed, "I'll be right back."

I sighed and sat down on the side step leading up to the massive front porch. I hoped that whoever this friend of Alice was, she didn't plan on hiring me. Yes, I needed the money, but weddings? That was another story- today had been an exception.

I found myself wondering where Bella was at this moment- I had no intentions of going to find her, God knows that wouldn't go down well. It was just an amazing coincidence that we would land at the same event exactly 20 years after…

"Edward?" Alice's voice broke my thoughts and I jumped slightly.

I looked up, and there she was.

Oh, and Alice too, by her side.

Despite the circumstances, Bella's expression was rather amusing.

"Holy-!"

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**Hey there (:**

**So.. to those who are reading my other fic, RB, here's the new story :D And to those who aren't.. well, go check out Runaway Bella ;D**

**First of all, I'm not sure about the title yet, and it may change :S But I don't think so.**

**Andd, this chapter is just Bella and Edward seeing each other again after years, but next chapter shall be more interesting. I'm not sure if I should have done a prologue? Because everytime I tried it just din't come out right :P It would have been good to explain their past, but that will happen anyway, so.. :L **

**And also, this is my first All Human fic. And I'm nervous because I like the plot, but my writing? Eh..**

**Oh, and, I know that there wasn't much Jacob interaction, but that will come ;) **

**So, thank you for reading and PLEASE review! Let me know what you think, it's always good to know that someone out there is reading, or what you think about it! :)**

**Thanks**

**Littlemissmousie**


	2. Chit Chat and a Pixie's Persuasion

**Chapter Playlist: Everybody Loves me- One Republic, The Show- Lenka**

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**A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words**

**Chapter 2: Chit Chat and a Pixie's Persuasion**

**BPOV**

Well, if there was one thing that I could say for sure, and that was that this day had not gone _anything _like I had expected it to.

After my little… shockduring the ceremony, it had taken a while to collect my thoughts and _properly _convince myself that I had been completely imagining things. That _maybe_, despite my best efforts, the significance of this day had made more of an impact on me than I had allowed myself to acknowledge.

20 years.

That was what today meant. 20 years since Edward had befriended me in the only park in Forks. 20 years since he had insisted on giving me the rest of his hot chocolate, when he noticed I was shivering, despite my protests. Since he had pinky promised me that we would be best friends forever- that he would be by my side, forever. Of course, that was a lot for a five year old to promise a four year old, especially having only met each other the very same day. But as the time had passed, it had felt like his promise was one that would last- one that would never be broken. That was, of course, before Edward started high school. Before everything changed.

Naturally, as I grew up, my feelings for Edward grew stronger as well. But as I became more… aware of his good looks, Edward did too_. _The year that we spent in different schools had been a changing point for both of us. Me? Well, I thought more and more about Edward, and my crush on him developed to no limit. Even when Edward had started seeing me less after school, and acted more distant when we did, I had just figured that something was bothering him, and that he would tell me about it sooner or later.

I just never realized that it had been _me _that was bothering him

And Edward at school? Well, he never had any problems fitting in, unlike the girl who was falling for him- big time. Being accepted as Captain of the football team, he became used to snobby, long legged, hare-brained girls being on his arm all the time, and to being treated like royalty.

I never had any warning. Starting high school, I had been ecstatic to be able to spend more time with Edward again. And then I learnt that losers like me never sat with Gods like him. Well, I can't say I was the smartest cookie at the time. Yes, it had stung a lot when Edward had told me he didn't want to be friends anymore, but that was nothing compared to the way he laughed when I came forward with my real feelings towards him. And that had only been the beginning of the torture…

I shuddered, and shook the thoughts away- I needed to focus on _now. _What the hell was he doing here? I guess I hadn't been hallucinating. I blinked, and suddenly I saw Alice giving me a disapproving look… along with a few other people. I felt my cheeks heat up. Oh yeah- I had cursed at a wedding. Loudly. _And_ in front of the man who she was raving about, who also happened to be Edward Cullen. Rose was not going to be happy…

Alice gave me a last warning look before turning back to Edward and smiling, "Yes, so, this is my best friend, Bella! Bella, this is the wedding photographer, Edward. He is _so _talented, and with your wedding coming up…"

An awkward silence followed as neither Edward nor I said anything, and I didn't have to look at Alice to know that she was confused.

Edward was the first to speak, and he held out his hand, "Lovely to meet you." Only I, having known him 20 years today, managed to pick up the slightest hint of mock and amusement in his tone, and I gritted my teeth, never looking straight at him. I ignored his outstretched hand, and turned to Alice.

"Was there a reason you wanted me to meet him?" I asked pointedly, and ignored the way Alice stared at me in open surprise and disbelief- she had never seen this side of me. But then again, she had no idea that Edward and I knew each other. I had only met her in college, and I hadn't wanted to even_ think _about that chapter of my life, let alone talk about it.

"Bella!" Alice hissed, and I sighed. I knew that my attitude now would result in a lot of questions later on from Alice- questions that would be hard to answer. I thought I heard Edward chuckle, but when I glanced at him his face was completely straight.

Eventually, Alice gave up, and turned back to Edward, "I'm sorry, please excuse her. She's tired." I snorted, but she ignored me, "Perhaps you want to meet for coffee sometime? You must have a very busy schedule, I know, but it would be _fabulous _if we could discuss you maybe photographing _her _wedding?"

"I don't think he has the time, Al…" I stepped in, at the same time that Edward said, "Sure." I glared at him, but he was looking at Alice.

Alice clapped her hands excitedly, beaming, and naturally she ignored my comment. "Great! I have to go now, but I'll get your number from Emmett and give you a ring. You two chit-chat, now," She added, shooting a quick warning glance towards me before hurrying off towards Jazz, leaving me no time to protest.

I sighed, and for the first time that day, I looked Edward over properly, only intending it to be a quick glance.

Despite the fact that Edward had broken my heart through high school, and caused me many months and years of tears- and I despised him for it- I couldn't deny that Edward was a gorgeous man. His good looks were intensified by age and, naturally, his startling bronze hair was in a wild disarray- the one factor that had never changed about him- and he had gotten a bit taller, although height had never been an issue for him. I could see a hint of subtly nicely- defined muscles underneath his jacket. His jaw structure was slightly chiseled, and his eyes—_oh crap. _

I felt more dread seep over me as I looked at his face properly for the first time. Judging by his emerald eyes twinkling in amusement and the corners of his mouth twisted up into a smirk, Edward had caught me ogling him.

_That smirk._

It wasn't the playful smirk that belonged to the Edward I had know before high school, it was the smirk that belonged to cocky, arrogant, snobbish Edward, the Edward that I had no intention of getting anywhere near- I had already mourned over the loss of the sweet, kind-hearted, gentleman Edward, who was nowhere to be found. Apparently, time had not been chance enough for him to change back to his old self- not that I'd held much high hopes for that. Anyway, his smirk totally got my back up, and I felt the irritation flare up inside of me.

"What?" I snapped.

Edward chuckled. "Some things just never change, do they?"

"I don't know what you mean," I muttered.

He leaned forward, and I took a step back. "Get over me," He whispered, and then winked, in a conspiratorial way. It took me a moment to control my expression, and push away the sting I felt in that comment.

"Wow, so modest," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. And then I thrust my hand up so that he could see, nice and clear, the engagement ring on my finger. Edward raised his eyebrows, and then feigned a look of surprise.

"Wow Bella, and you're engaged, too? _Very loyal_." My eyes widened at his sarcasm. Yeah, because he could talk about loyalty.

I began to protest, but he cut me off.

"I'm going to go do my job, now. I guess I'll be seeing you, according to your pixie friend…"

I bubble of sarcastic laughter escaped my lips, "Oh no! You can forget about it, and _Alice _can dream on!" With that I turned on my heel, about to stomp off, but instead I walked straight into a waiter carrying a tray of champagne glasses and the impact knocked most of them over, the alcohol pouring over me. I gasped at the feel of the icy liquid dripping down my front. The worst thing was- worse than the way everyone had stopped to stare at me again- that behind me, I could hear Edward trying to stifle his laughter.

So much for my dignified exit.

"… and for your information, Rose wasn't even that mad. She just wanted to know if I was ok, and was being really nice about it- she didn't go bridezilla on me at all! So you don't have to—Alice, are you listening to me?" I asked, as I noticed Alice glance behind me distractedly for the umpteenth time that morning.

"Huh? Oh yeah, of course," She laughed nervously, and I raised an eyebrow. What had her so distracted?

It had been two weeks since the wedding, and because Alice had been so busy with work, we had only managed to talk over the phone. She seemed to have believed me when I told her that I had just been having an off day, but then she became suspicious when I protested- rather abruptly when she suggested it- that Edward do the photography for my wedding. I had then managed to convince her that all I thought- all I knew- was that he was a cocky, rude asshole, but we had still argued about hiring him.

Now, we were sitting in a small Starbucks, and Alice kept glancing at her watch and then looking out of the window we were seated by.

"Alice, tell me what's up, now," I demanded, frustrated. She didn't reply, but just when I was about to give up on getting an answer out of her, something caught her eye outside the window, and then she turned and looked me in the eye.

"Bella, remember the photographer from the wedding?" I froze. "He's here." I turned my head to look out of the window, and sure enough, Edward was getting out of a silver Volvo in the parking lot. At first, I didn't put two and two together as Alice watched me with a cautious yet determined look on her face, but then I understood.

"You _asked _him to_ come?" _I hissed.

Alice had clearly prepared herself for this battle. "Bella," she tried to soothe me in a firm tone, "He is very talented. And if you don't like him that much, you don't have to talk to him. Just smile at the camera!"

"It's my wedding, it should be my decision!"

"I'm your wedding planner, and I have more experience in event planning," She reminded me evenly. She looked up behind me just as the sound of the door's bells rung, and I knew that Edward was here. I groaned internally.

Alice leaned towards me, her voice lowered, yet more urgent, "Bella, just cooperate today, ok? And if you're rude to him again, I swear…" She trailed off, enough warning in her voice. Then she looked behind me again, and waved as her expression changed from threatening to pleasant in a second.

"Good morning, Edward!"

I sighed and turned in my chair to see Edward approaching our table. He was glad in dark blue jeans and a black leather jacket, and he was… _Shut up Bella! Shut up! You're flipping engaged, for God's sake! You love Jake!_

"Morning, Alice," Edward's voice broke through my thoughts. His eyes slid to me, "Good morning, Bella."

I cleared my throat, "Hello, Edward." I glanced at Alice- she looked satisfied enough by my calm enough answer.

"Sorry I'm so late," Edward said as Alice gestured towards the seat in between her and I, "The traffic was horrendous." I calmed the urge to comment on the fact that there was _never_ traffic in _Forks. _

Alice nodded seriously, "Don't worry about it. I'm so glad you could make time to meet us!" She turned to me, "Aren't you glad, Bells?" I took a deep breath as Alice lightly tapped my foot under the table, and turned to Edward.

I put on my best smile, "Ecstatic." Edward chuckled, and I knew that he knew that my enthusiasm was rather _forced_.

The waiter showed up then, and quickly took Edward's order - Alice and I already had our drinks.

"So," Alice began, turning to me, "Edward told me that he would bring a couple of his pictures, to show you." Edward nodded, and reached into his bag and pulled out a file.

"I did these a while ago for someone's wedding, but accidentally had two lots printed out…" He pulled out a collection of photos and handed them to me, "It's not what I usually do, but the couple asked for it on special request- they're good friends."

I began to look through the photos, and I had to admit, they were beautiful photos- there was no doubting the emotion portrayed in each photo. I noticed, though, that these weren't just photos of the wedding, there seemed to be other places involved as well, but with the same couple. Bridal boutique… engagement party… floral shop… Cake shop…

I handed the photos to Alice, who was practically bouncing. I looked up at Edward, and then looked down again as I spoke- his green eyes sent jolts to my heart- not a good sign. "Uh…What sort of request involved you at all the wedding planning venues as well?" I asked, as Alice cooed quietly, half admiring the photos, half listening to the conversation.

"Well, they wanted to do a big album afterwards of all the moments they'd had together leading up to the wedding." I stiffened slightly as Alice's head snapped up. I could practically hear her processing this, "Like I said, not my usual thing, but…" He shrugged.

Alice turned to me, new excitement etched on her face, "Bella…!" No. _Hell no! _Well, it wasn't that hard to guess what she was thinking.

"Alice- no," I said straightforwardly and firmly. Having Edward at my wedding would be bad enough, and I had already been opposed to that idea. Him being at every wedding event I went to, popping up everywhere… no.

"Bella, that would be so cute! I don't know why I didn't think of it before…"

"Edward just said," I said evenly, "That it's not his usual thing. And we're not sure we're even hiring…" I almost forgot that Edward was sitting right there.

Alice raised the pile of photos in her hand, "He's got talent, Bells. He _is_ the one for the job!" I sighed. Why couldn't Edward just say no? There was no doubt that he hated me, so why was he letting Alice rant on? To spite me?!

Alice turned to Edward, "Edward, if I offered you a larger sum of money than usual-"

"You're bribing him?!" I cried in disbelief.

"-Would you be interested in doing something similar for Bella? Please?" Oh great- Alice was bringing out the puppy eyes. I turned to look at him, in the eye this time, and I hoped that the _no _was clear there, and that he didn't say yes to Alice's puppy eyes. There were a few moments of silence before Edward spoke.

"Sure."

Stupid pixie and her persuasion. This was just lovely.

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**Helloo (: So... what did you think? Is Bella being too harsh, or not? Well, she's angry, but underneath it she's also hurt and sad, so...**

**Next chapter in EPOV ;) Well, most of it :P And yes, I know Edward is kind of OOC, but I still love him (obviously) ;)**

**Final Eclipse trailer out! Woopiee :D It was super cool :D**

**Btw, about the chapter playlist, the lyrics might/might not be connected to the story. They're just some of the songs I've been listening to, so.. But, some songs will be connected ;D Do I continue with it? :P**

**I'm trying to remember if I mentioned this in my last A/N, but I really can't, so I shall just mention it again ;D An author on FF, Stephaniiie (amazing writer, btw) has opened a new set of awards called Class of '10 Awards. She's in my fav authors, and the information is on her profile, but I'm just spreading the word :L So.. yeah. check it out if you want, the website is : www(DOT)twilightallhumanawards(DOT)com**

**And, I know that there are quite a lot of people who _don't _like Jacob, but he will be in the story quite a lot, I think, even if we haven't really seen him now. Bella and Edward... well, things shall be interesting ;) And if you do like Jacob.. well, good xD but, this IS a Bella/Edward story, so.. :) That's all I'm saying! ;)**

**Thanks for reading, and your reviews! (:**

**Please review :D Any thoughts or fav bits? :L :)**

**Thanks **

** Littlemissmousie **


	3. Notebooks and Pens, Cameras and Pictures

**A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words**

**Chapter 3: Notebooks and Pens, Cameras and Pictures**

**Edward's POV**

I got up at the crack of dawn, unable to sleep any longer. Forks seemed to be going through an unusual stage of relatively good weather, and this morning, it appeared as though the sun actually planned on rising- today was a good day to get some fresh air, just me and my camera. It was my comfort zone.

Because _boy _did I need to clear my head.

Why the hell did I accept the pixie's offer?

_Oh right. Because I'm an idiot._

I honestly had had no intentions whatsoever of actually attending this coffee thing with Alice and Bella. I'd abandoned people enough times in my life that ditching a small, stupid coffee with a bouncy, coffee-hyped chick and, well, Bella, was nothing.

Well, it _should_ have been nothing.

And it would have been, too, if it weren't for Emmett.

Of course, I couldn't _really _blame him, especially not after everything he'd done for me. When I was practically broke, he befriended me in a bar- where I had been planning on drowning all my problems in alcohol- and let me stay in his apartment, free of charge. Now, I still stayed for free, and though Emmett came from a wealthy family, I still felt guilty for practically having dumped myself there. And now that Em and Rose were married, they were going to move into their new house a couple of streets away, and Emmett decided to give me his apartment. Free of charge.

In the past years he'd come to be my best friend, and although I knew he was curious, he never pushed me far to spill about my messed up past- and for that, I was pretty damn grateful. Anyway, since he was moving out, all the boxes- some new, recently packed ones and some full of our old crap- were all dumped out in the living room, the packed ones ready to be moved into Emmett and Rose's new home, the rest- which was a tiny proportion- were there just because they had fallen of our little storage unit when pulling out some of Emmett's stuff.

And of course, when I had sat down at the table- which was crowded with some boxes- with my coffee, the box that I shoved off the table for some space just _had _to be the one containing some old things from my past. And _of course,_ it had to be the one box that had never been sealed properly, so it opened and everything fell out. When I'd bent down to pick everything up, I'd come across the last thing I would have wanted to.

And old, faded and crumpled up piece of paper, with lots of colourful lines and circles scrawled across- a children's drawing. If anyone else had come across this, they wouldn't have understood the picture, but I did.

Even completely messy, I could pick out a stickman, and a, well… a stick lady. The stickman was in green and blue, and the stick lady was in pink and brown. They were holding hands, and were surrounded by stars and other drawings, along with 3 letters scrawled above them:

_E + B_

Although I shoved the picture back in the box, the image stuck in my head. And before I knew it, guilt was creeping through me as I grabbed my keys and a couple of other things, and headed down to my silver Volvo.

I still don't quite get why I went, but I did, with the plan not ditch them, but turn down any job offers- I really couldn't work with Bella, maybe she had momentarily stepped into my life, but now I had to push her back out. I refused to let my mind return to the reasons of our break in friendship, or to anything regarding her, really.

I had to bite back a laugh at Bella's expression when she saw me enter the shop- clearly _not _expecting me- and when she heard my lame excuse for being late- traffic. Everyone knows that there's no traffic in Forks, but neither woman commented on it.

I had had every intention of turning down Alice's request to do the same thing as I had done a while back- a God-awful job- and I could tell by the look on Bella's face that she would have been perfectly fine with me turning down such an offer. But then Alice had discreetly passed me a small piece of paper on which a large number had been written. With a dollar sign before it.

And there you have it.

I really couldn't rely on Emmett and his apartment forever, and to go out there and get a life, I needed to start getting some cash rolling in again.

But that didn't mean I wasn't a complete idiot.

I couldn't help but feel a twinge of irritation as I remembered Bella's expression when I accepted the job. Seriously, it was as if the world was about to come to an end. I mean, this job was sure to be pretty damn unpleasant, and I by no means wanted it, but really... melodramatic, much?

I sighed as I brought myself back to the present, where I stood in the kitchen waiting for my coffee to heat up. Alice had told me that she would give me a call regarding my job, so the ball was in her court now. All I could do now was continue to wonder what shit I had just gotten myself into.

**Bella's POV**

Glancing at my alarm clock for what felt like the 100th time in the past eight or so hours, I saw that it was five thirty. I gave up on trying to catch any sleep, and swung my legs out of the bed, while the tiny bundle that was Alice lay asleep on the other side.

Jake and I shared an apartment, but some of the nights when he was working late or was out, I would come over to Alice for our tradition of movies and some sweet concoction of hers, and would sleep over afterwards. Jake didn't like it because he didn't like Alice, although I could never quite understand why I _had _to be at our apartment when he wasn't even there sometimes- he liked his car work a lot.

Besides, I liked Alice's place better.

After washing my face, brushing my teeth and quickly changing into a black singlet and a pair of sweats- Alice's enemy- I strolled out into the main room of Alice's apartment, and took in the surroundings that was filled entirely with her personality.

Her apartment was small- by choice, although she had more than enough money to buy a bigger plot, she had grown attached to this place- but stylish and cosy. Her living room and kitchen connected in an open space; both the walls and the floorboards were pale cream or white. Somehow standing out against the pale cream floorboards was a wide, fluffy rug, on which a hot pink couch lay against the wall. There were spotty cushions on it, and just above was a modern bookshelf. On the side wall, there was a plasma screen.

Like I said. I love Alice's place.

I flopped down on the green beanbag that was parallel to the couch. The sun was only just beginning to rise outside the window, and I only needed to be at work- I worked in Jake's car company- in around four hours. Alice would only be up in about three. I had quite some time to kill.

My eyes flickered around the room, and they eventually landed on the bookshelf above the couch. It only had 2 shelves, but they ran all along the one wall. There were a lot of Alice's portfolios on the shelf, along with a whole bunch of other books ranging from cookbooks to journals to novels to work folders.

And I knew what was lying behind at the back, untouched.

A beautiful blue notebook with black swirls on the cover, and a pen.

Jake thought I'd gotten rid of it, but Alice had my back.

I felt a twinge of guilt run through me- what was wrong with me? _I shouldn't be hiding things from Jake, _I thought, _I love him and we're getting married. I shouldn't be keeping secrets from him._

But I suddenly reminded myself that it was just a notebook, and it wasn't like there were a bunch of dirty secrets or horrible things that lay in the book!

It was just a notebook... with some of my stories in it.

I loved to write. Writing was my dream. From an early age I had been a bookworm, and as I grew up, I found more and more comfort in reading, and eventually I began to think of stories in my head, and just _had _to write them down on paper. The urge to write and describe things and add some fluff here and some humour there, or simply just have fun writing what could possibly be mumbo jumbo, never ended. I did, after all, major in English in university, and that's what I had seen myself doing. Writing, writing, writing. Even if what I wrote was plain crap, I still loved to write.

So why the hell was I working for a car company? Let's just say, Jake didn't particularly approve of my writing 'random stuff that will lead nowhere', as he put it. That comment had stung, but otherwise he had told me quite gently that careers in writing didn't go very far, and that he needed a lot of help in his company. I sure didn't agree, but it seemed to be the only cause of our arguments, so after many hints and nudges from Jake, I stopped writing, and he somehow got me to start working at his company.

For a few moments, I bit my lip and contemplated doing what my fingers itched to do. And then I pulled myself up from the beanbag, decision made, and I stepped across the room and onto Alice's pink couch so that I could reach the bookshelf.

What Jake didn't know couldn't hurt him, right?

And it was a notebook. _A notebook. _

And besides, for once it seemed like the sun was _actually _going to rise, although it was still dusk, there only seemed to be a couple of small, white clouds. Why waste a pretty day inside doing nothing? And I definitely needed a distraction, anyway.

I struggled slightly with the books, because the notebook was somewhere at the back, and it was hard reaching it _and _the pen without knocking down the whole front row- something that would effectively wake up Alice, and her personality before the sun had fully risen was not a pretty one.

Finally, I jumped down off the couch, blue and black notebook in one hand along with my favourite blue felt pen that, like the notebook, hadn't been used in ages. After slipping my feet into a comfy pair of converse and tying my hair into a loose ponytail, I slipped out of the door and headed down the stairs and into the crisp morning air.

**X~**

A sense of Nostalgia swept through me as I flipped through the used up pages of my notebook, as I sat on a bench in a park close to Alice's place. It was completely quite, aside from the occasional rustle of the wind blowing through the trees. Read through my scribbled writing, arrows pointing here and there, and some words or lines crossed out in occasional places. Although having backup was probably a good idea, I didn't plan on transferring anything in the book onto a computer or anything for now; it felt safer and more private in the pages of the book.

I had many drabbles and thoughts written down, but the main things were two ongoing stories I had written. One was more fictional, while the other, while still fictional, felt more personal. Both of them lay close to my heart. One story was a typical love story, about a girl and a boy who grew up to be childhood sweethearts. The other story was sadder; the girl had once been happy, but her life had changed. Although she was happy now, it was a different type of happy, and sometimes she still felt lost. I found that the first story was easier to write- deep down I knew why this was, but I refused to acknowledge it.

The girl in my second story was named Mollie, and after a few moments of quiet thought, I decided on a development to her story, and began to write.

For a while, I was lost in my own thoughts as the only sound that filled the air was the sound of my pen scribbling furiously against the paper.

Suddenly, I heard a quiet click and saw a flash which blinded me temporarily. A few seconds later, I regained my vision properly, and looked up, startled. I looked around, but the park looked just as peaceful as it had been for the past... well, I don't know. After being reunited with my pen, I had definitely gotten a bit carried away.

"Strange," I muttered, and then returned to my notebook.

"What's strange?" I gave a squeak and jumped in surprise at the sound of an all-too-familiar voice right at my ear. I turned my head, and there he was Mr Bronze-haired, green-eyed, A-class asshole. I jumped up from my seat, immediately shutting my book and turned to face him, arms crossed.

He looked amused, "You always were a bit paranoid."

"What are you doing here?" I snapped.

Edward gestured to the professional camera hanging from around his neck. "You know, Bella, I have as much right as you do to be here. It's a public place, you know." I felt a familiar tearing in my chest at the sound of him saying my name, but I pushed it away. All these years, in my head, he'd been in a tiny box, where he couldn't hurt me. He had to stay there.

I sighed, "Can't you go take pictures somewhere else?"

"Can't _you _go write about people that aren't real somewhere else?" He retorted, and I couldn't help but grimace.

"That's not what I'm doing!" I said, irritated before I could stop myself, but I could feel the heat rushing up to my cheeks- the tell-tale of my fail-cake lying.

Edward smirked, "What are you doing, then?"

I ground my teeth. "Work," I said after a second.

"Mmhmm." Stupid sarcastic tone.

"What's it to you, anyway?" I snapped. He shrugged.

"Shouldn't you be planning a wedding or something?"

"None. Of. Your. Business."

Edward chuckled, and then raised his hands, "Hey, I was just asking. Besides, you might want to be a little bit nicer to me since we're going to have to work together for the next-"

"Oh no!" I interrupted him, not bothering to wonder how I had managed to work up such a temper so quickly, "You can forget about that. I don't care what Alice said, go find yourself another job that _doesn't _involve me."

"I'd love to, but I kind of already accepted the pixie's offer. Besides, why do I bother you so much?" My eyes widened in disbelief, and then narrowed. What a jerk. He thought that I was still a weak little duckling, and he wanted me to admit how much he'd hurt me in high school.

I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

I took a deep breath, and then said calmly, "This is my wedding. I'd like a photographer _with _talent." Even as I spoke the words, though, I knew that Edward did have a lot of talent in photography.

"Oh, so I'm not talented?"

"No."

He laughed and said, "You might change your mind about that." At the same time that he removed his camera from around his neck, and moved forward by my side so that I could see the screen. For a split second, the skin of our arms touched, and I snatched my arm away at the jolt of what felt like electricity.

No. It wasn't electricity. It was repulsion.

Edward turned the camera onto display mode, and began to flick through the photos he'd taken in the park. It turned out that he'd been there longer than I had realised.

"Are you sure I'm not talented?"

I swallowed, "You're not talented."

"I _so _am."

I was about to comment on his cockiness, but then a photo of me on the bench came across the display screen. It was taken from the side, from a distance, but it was still of me.

"What was that for?" I demanded.

Edward shrugged, "I wanted a photo of the bench. You were in the way. Your fault."

"Edward, please delete it."

"No." His tone was light and simple.

"Why not?"

Edward's mouth suddenly lifted up into his signature crooked smile. The one that had never failed to make my heart rate speed up.

"It's fun annoying you."

I rolled my eyes, "Ok, and I'm leaving now." And I turned and began walking away from him towards the entrance of the park.

"I guess I'll be seeing you around."

I stopped, and turned, "No. I didn't hire you. I told you, I want a talented photographer."

Edward's eyes twinkled in amusement, "We'll see about that."

**X~**

"Bells!" Jake called from the living room.

"Just a sec," I told Alice, who'd been talking to me about the engagement party while I'd been making us lunch. I put the knife that was covered in margarine down, and stepped into the living room.

"Yeah?"

"Parcel for you," He told me, and my eyes fell on the thin brown package that he was picking up and holding out for me. I grabbed the parcel, curious. I rarely got mail that wasn't bills, unless it was Christmas, so I wondered who this package was from. As soon as my eyes landed on the handwriting that was used on our address, I froze momentarily, before stepping away and ripping the parcel open.

I emptied the parcel into my hands, and out came a pile of photographs. Quickly flipping through them, I saw that they were photos of the park I'd been to a week ago. Including the one of me, except that it appeared that Edward had cropped it zoomed in before printing the photo out.

_What was the point of all this?_

Even confused, I had to admit that the photos were pretty amazing. As Alice came into the room to see what it was, I quickly shoved the one of me pack in the parcel, just as she snatched the rest of the photos out of my hands and began cooing over them.

"Who did this?"

"I don't know," I lied. Alice shot me a suspicious look, but I ignored it. As she turned away, I noticed that there was a note inside the package. I took it out, and unfolded it. It read:

_Bella,_

_Yes, I _am _that talented, and you know it. Now admit it and get over it. Or should I say me? ;)_

_-Edward

* * *

_

**Ok, it's been a while. But, I've been trying to think ahead with this story, and now I know exactly where I'm going with it :) We should have weekly updates from now on :D**

**So, you probably guessed that things between Edward and Bella are a bit confusing at the moment. But Bella isn't going to jump in Edward's arms as quickly as you might be hoping for ;)**

**Btw, I've changed one of the genres from humor to drama, because Edward does have a few skeletons in his closet, which you might have notice at the beginning of the chap ;)**

**I'll be putting up a link soon for a few visuals, I'll let you know when I do so :)**

**Again, I'm sorry for the wait!  
Please review and let me know what you thought!**

**Thanks for reading :) **

**Littlemissmousie **


	4. Impoliteness and Interruptions

**A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words**

**Chapter 4: Impoliteness and Interruptions**

"Alice, are you sure that this small party is going to stay... _small?_" I asked warily as Alice pulled her bright yellow mini into the stone gravel driveway of Rose and Emmett's new home. They'd been back for two weeks, after having spent their honeymoon in the Bahamas, and I had been surprised when they had offered to host Jake and my engagement party at their house, so soon after moving in.

Alice sighed and rolled her eyes at me as she pulled the car to a stop, "_Yes, _Bella, it's going to be great. Don't you trust me?"

"With everything... _except _parties involving me, Al."

"Gee, thanks," Alice said sarcastically, and I stifled a chuckle at her irritated expression. "And you could show a little more excitement, you know," she went on, "What with this being _your _engagement party and all." I nodded, but didn't say anything.

We were a couple of hours early so nobody had arrived yet, but if I knew Alice at all, then I definitely had the right to be worried. Yes, she was very responsible and could keep a tremendous, what would be chaotic amount of work without her in order, but she was still Alice, and nobody liked planning and hosting a party more than Alice did. I couldn't exactly say that Alice's parties and events _didn't_ turn out fantastically; she just tended to go a bit... overboard at times.

We got out of the car, and began walking up the driveway towards the house. It was two stories and was made up of white board panelling, with grey stones lining bottom. It had a cute, wooden-floored patio at the front that overlooked a small, flowery lawn. Alice and I stepped into the side door, bringing us into the kitchen. It was the perfect mix between modern and cosy with hardwood floors, granite counters and an island in the middle. Although I'd helped, it was Alice who'd really had a ball helping Rose decorate the kitchen, and of course the rest of the house.

Today, the kitchen was busier. I couldn't see Jake or Emmett anywhere, but I spotted my mom, Renee, and my stepdad, Phil, talking to Rose at the back of the room.

Renee and Charlie, my dad, had gotten divorced when I was only two, and my mom and I moved to Phoenix soon after, where she met Phil. They got married when I was four, and what with Phil moving around a lot and fulfilling his baseball career, my mom thought it was better for me to live in Forks with my dad, rather than moving around frequently. When I was nine they settled in Florida, and although I missed her a lot throughout the years, we visited each other back and forth frequently- and anyway, I was happy in Forks.

Well, at least until I reached high school.

"Honey, you're here!" I blinked at the sound of my mom's voice, and looked up to see her hurrying towards me. She looked similar to me, except that her hair was cut short, and she was a bit taller than I was. She had flown in a couple of days ago after insisting that she be here for the 'most exciting and enthralling part of my adult life', as she put it. I would have offered for her and Phil to come and stay at Jake and my place, but we really didn't have any extra space. Hell, even our couch was unavailable- it was filled with Jake's work.

I smiled and hugged her tightly as she came forward, "Hey mom."

"Aren't you so excited for this?" she squealed, and I gave a little nod, because I was still adjusting to my mother's excitement at my engagement to Jake. It wasn't that she didn't like Jake- she adored him- but she tended to be quite judgemental of people getting married, after her first one had failed so quickly.

I quickly greeted Phil and Rose, and then strolled into the elegantly decorated living room to find the boys- and stopped up short, my heart jumping and then sinking.

Oh, I did find Emmett and Jake.

I found Emmett and Jake talking to a man who had his back to me, but just happened to have a unique shade of bronze coloured hair that I'd only seen on one person's head in my entire life.

Jake's chocolate brown eyes slid past this man and he smiled, walking towards me. He was definitely a good looking man, with a tall, muscular build- although not quite as big as Emmett's intimidating bear build-, short but slightly spiky black hair, and a grin that made his super white teeth stand out from his olive toned skin.

"Hey babe," he said as I gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Hey," I said, trying to keep the sudden edge out of my voice, "What are you guys in such deep conversation about?" I joked.

"Actually, we were talking about you," he grinned, and I stiffened as the stranger turned around, and his striking green eyes fell on me, confirming my suspicions. "I suppose you've met Edward then, Bells?"

"What are you doing here?" I demanded before I could stop myself. I felt both Jake and Emmett's heads turn to look at me in question, but I kept my eyes glaring at Edward's. I thought I had made it quite clear to him that day in the park that I didn't need his arrogant ass around, and yet here he was.

"Um..." Edward said innocently, "I do believe that I was hired as the photographer-"

I cut him off, "Didn't I make it clear that-" and then I stopped, because nobody else knew that we had met in the park a few days ago. I wasn't quite sure why, but I wanted it to stay that way. And, by the look of a smirk tugging the corners of Edward's mouth, he knew exactly what I was thinking.

_Damn him._

I felt Jake's warm hand come down on my shoulder, "Uh... babe, are you feeling okay?"

I didn't reply for a moment, trying to think about what this must look like to everyone else. I sighed before putting on a smile and saying, "I'm fine. Just... surprised." I turned to head back to the kitchen, only to see Alice's tiny figure standing in the doorway, her eyes narrowed at me. _Uh oh. _I swung around to walk quickly the other way, but a moment later I felt her small hand clutch my arm, and-surprisingly strong for such a small person- drag me to the corner of the room.

"Bella, what is your deal with that man, hm?" Alice demanded as soon as we were out of earshot.

I swallowed. "What? Who?" I asked, trying to play for time.

"You know who!" she snapped, "I really can't understand what you've got against him. First at the wedding, then at Starbucks, and now..."

I sighed, and then gritted my teeth slightly, "I don't know, Alice, I just... _don't _like him." Well, it wasn't a lie- he _was_ a complete jerk, after all.

The look on Alice's face told me that she still didn't understand at all, and I sighed again before inspiration struck.

"It's like you and Jake!" I exclaimed, "I know you don't like him, but you don't have any proper reason. It's just a feeling."

"That's not true," she argued, "You saw what he was like at that baseball game." I groaned in exasperation. The first time I had introduced Alice and Jake was when we had all gone to watch a baseball game, and in the break halfway, he offered to go get everyone hotdogs, but only came back with two, one which he'd been about to hand to his friend, Paul, when he remembered us. It was honest enough, but Alice just didn't like him.

Alice was saying something. "And anyway," She continued, "Even if the situation _was _similar, you like Jake, and I don't get in the way of that, even though he's not my favourite person. So, I think _Edward's_ a good guy, why can't you treat it the same way?"

"Um... you're not dating him?" I said, half questioning, and then shock crossed my face, "You're not, are you-"

"No!" Alice said indignantly, and for a moment her lips twitched in amusement before she became serious again, "But... Bella, you can't deny his talent, and he is so charming and polite, as well! Where's the problem?"

"I-" I sighed, "I don't know. I guess I'm just... really tired." Alice studied me for a moment, and then nodded.

"Okay. You should get more sleep, then! And, don't take out your tiredness on him- It's impolite. He's a kind gentleman, Bells." It took everything in me not to snort, and to hold in the pain that threatened to rip out just then. No matter how well I managed to contain it most the time, it still got hard sometimes.

"Okay," I muttered after a moment, and wondered why I felt like a child that was being scolded by its mother, "Sorry."

"It's okay. Now come upstairs and get ready," Alice told me, her expression brightening no doubt at the idea of dressing me up.

**X~**

The party wasn't quite as small as I'd hoped for, but Alice had definitely stuck closer to my tastes than I had bargained for. The main part of the party took place in the living room, but also led out back to Rose and Emmett's large backyard patio. Their house was spacious enough that people could walk around without feeling suffocated, and enjoy themselves. The food was good, the music was tasteful, and I was feeling quite thankful that Alice and my mom had taken charge of things for this party.

Jake and I had spent some time walking around, saying hello to everybody, accepting congratulations for our engagement and basically mingling, as Rose called it. I almost completely forgot Edward's presence in this party, except for the occasional flash being snapped at one person or another, but I tried not to think too much about it.

At some point everyone gathered round and a few toasts were made, although thankfully were kept short and sweet.

"Oh, Bella!" Alice came up to me as I was talking to my mom, "Why don't you tell everyone how Jake proposed? Don't people love hearing that story?"

I hesitated at the prospect of talking in front of lots of people, "Uh, Alice..."

"Oh yes!" Mom said excitedly, "What a great idea."

I was about to quietly decline and explain why to both my mother and best friend, but it was too late; Mom was gathering people round, and Jake was at my side, smiling at me encouragingly.

The room gradually became quiet, and I found that all eyes were suddenly on me. Naturally, I could feel the heat rush up to colour my cheeks.

I finally found my voice, and began to talk, "Well, uh, Jake proposed a few weeks ago. We went out for dinner one night in Forks, and afterwards we went back to La Push, where he grew up, and we took a walk on the beach, under the moonlight. We-" There were a couple of 'awe's, but that wasn't what stopped me. What stopped me was the undeniable sound of a snort coming from the back of the room, and my gaze followed the direction that everyone else's heads had turned towards, and what do you know, it led to Edward, who was trying to cover up his snort by coughing.

There was a moment of silence, before he gestured to me and said, "Please, carry on."

I gritted my teeth for a moment to calm myself down, and then I continued where I left off, "Yes, so, we walked along the beach for a while, and then Jake told me to carry on walking, but he covered my eyes with his hands. Eventually, he let me open my eyes, and we were still on the beach, but there was a dozen rose petals and scented candles surrounding us-" I stopped briefly again at the sound of a muffled laugh at the back of the room, and tried to send a warning through my eyes to Edward, before carrying on, "and he got down on one knee and proposed."

A series of 'awe's went around the room, this time louder than before , and people clapped when Jake bent down to kiss me. I kept a smile on my face as people began to talk amongst themselves again, but inside I was struggling to mask my irritation with Edward. _What was his problem?_

A little while later, the party began to wrap itself up, and I became busy with saying goodbye to everyone, thanking them for coming and accepting congratulations again. Once the majority of the guests had left the rest of us started to help clean up. I felt a bit bad for the mess that the party had created in Rose and Emmett's new home, but they didn't seen mind, and were just glad that it had turned out so well.

"Thank you so much, again, for having the party at your house," I said to Rose a little while later as I helped her load some dishes into the dishwasher.

"Bella, stop," Rose told me mock sternly, "It was our pleasure. Emmett and I are just thrilled that you're getting married, too!" I felt a swirl of anticipation and butterflies flutter in my stomach.

"So," I said, changing the subject, "How's married life treating you?"

Rose smiled, "It's great. I can't believe that I'm really Mrs McCarty now! But it's definitely an amazing feeling. We should be getting all the photos of the wedding back, soon, and I can't wait to see how all the photos turn out- from what I hear, though, Edward is a fantastic photographer, Bells, so between him and Alice- and the rest of us- your wedding will be just _amazing._

I smiled and nodded, but didn't say anything. I turned around to pick up some plates of the island counter, and jumped slightly when I saw Edward standing in the doorway. _Speak of the devil. _

"Hi, Mrs. McCarty," he said, glancing at me momentarily, "I just came to say that I'll be leaving now."

"Oh, ok," Rose said, standing up, "Well, thank you for helping to clean up, you didn't have to."

"That's alright," Edward said politely. Rose looked at me expectantly, and I sighed, turning towards Edward.

"Thank you very much, _Edward, _for helping with the photography. It's very much appreciated," I said, trying not to make my voice sound too strained.

Edward smiled, but I could see the amusement dancing in his eyes, "My pleasure." He walked out of the room, and I hesitated for a few moments, wondering what to do. Rose looked up at me curiously at the same time that I made up my mind.

"I'll be right back," I murmured, "I just need to talk to Edward about something."

"Okay," Rose said, bemused.

I quickly washed my hands and then walked out into the living room, just in time to see Edward closing the front door behind him. I quickly made my way to the front door and let myself out.

"Edward!" I called as I walked down the steps towards his retreating figure. He stopped at the sound of my voice and turned around.

"Yes?" He asked as I got closer.

"Can I just ask what the hell that was earlier?" I demanded. I knew that it had been a while since Edward had liked me, even as a friend, but I wanted to know what the hell his problem was with me that he had to snort and laugh in the middle of my speeches. Hell, if he didn't like me that much, then why had he accepted Alice's offer? Just to bug me? It seemed highly unlikely.

Edward blinked, "What was what?"

"You know what!" I snapped slightly, "When I was telling everyone how Jake proposed."

"Oh. That." Edward frowned slightly and then chuckled, "Sorry, it's just not my thing to gush at the most clichéd stories, Bella."

"There was nothing clichéd about it!" I argued hotly, but inside, I knew that the proposal hadn't been terribly original. Still, it didn't matter, I loved Jake, and that was all that did.

Edward raised his eyebrows, and smiled his signature crooked smile. Despite my annoyance, I felt my heart rate speed up just a bit. "Really, Bella? Roses and scented candles? Getting down on one knee?"

I faltered slightly, and Edward smirked, "I'll see you in a bit." And he began to walk away.

For a moment, I didn't say anything, and then I called after him, "If you hate me so much, then why did you take this job?"

Edward paused, and turned around, "Hate is a strong word. And... I have my reasons, trust me."

_Yeah, because trusting you in the past really worked out for me. Not._

"Well if you're so talented," I said sarcastically, remembering our conversation in the park the other day, "Then I'm pretty sure there are other people out there who'd love to hire you."

Edward sighed, "Look, how about we carry on this conversation at Filipino's, yeah?"

I blinked, "What?"

"Yeah Bells," I suddenly heard Emmett's voice behind me, "Didn't Jake tell you? We're all going out for dinner at Filipino's a little later. I thought Edward could join us."

I swallowed, "Oh... no, Jake didn't mention it. But... okay."

_Well, this was sure to be an interesting evening._

_**XxXxXxXxXx**_

_**A/N: Thank you for the reviews on the previous chapter :)**_

_**Okay, I know that this chapter was basically just Edward and Bella bantering, and little detail here and there thrown in, but the next chapter should be more interesting :) And, on Edward calling Jake's proposal cliche, it doesn't reflect on my views. It's Edward's views :)**_

_**This Thursday I'll be out of the country for a week, so there won't be an update next Sunday/Monday, but I will update as soon as I get back, and then we'll be back to the weekly updates :)**_

_**I've noticed that there are quite a few people who add this story to favorites or alerts, and I'm glad that you do, but please also take a moment to review.**_

_**One last thing- I'm going to try twitter, so feel free to follow me :) Link is on profile, penname is MissMousie96 :)**_

_**Thanks!**_

_**Littlemissmousie**_


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